1. Field of the Invention
Devices and methods provided herein relate to a dental attachment assembly for anchoring a dental appliance with a base structure such as a dental implant, and more specifically to an attachment assembly with a cap for positioning and retaining the dental appliance.
2. Related Art
Dental anchoring assemblies are known in which a female part is provided for attachment to a root, implant, or adjacent tooth, and a male part is engaged in a recess in a dental appliance, the male and female parts having mating, snap engageable formations for releasably securing the male part to the female part. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,570, to Zuest, the female part has a socket and the male part has a head for snap engagement in the socket. However, users may find it difficult to properly locate the male head in the female socket, such that the head may hit the periphery of the socket in some cases. Repeated impacts of this nature may damage the retentive head of the male, causing it to lose some of its retention ability.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,030,219 and 6,299,447 of Zuest et al., incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, describe dental attachment assemblies in which the male part has a skirt for snap engagement over an outer locating surface of the female or abutment member. The male part may also have a central stem for snap engagement in a socket in the female part, providing both inner and outer retention surfaces, and therefore increased retention force. It is also easier to locate the male part properly over the female part.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,871, to Zuest, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes an outer locating surface that has at least two axially spaced retention surfaces for mating, snap engagement with corresponding spaced snap engagement formations on the inner surface of a cap secured in a dental appliance to provide a stacked, external retention between the abutment and retention members.
However, it is desirable to not only improve the retention of the components of the dental attachment assemblies but to also improve their adjustability.